Should we expect much of a density improvement from month 7 to 12?

[SeanT1]

Hi,
I'm one week off from reaching the 7 month post operation milestone, it's exciting!

However (like many clients), one side of my transplanted area is much thinner than the other.
I was wondering what your thoughts are if we should expect much density improvements or are we close to the final results?

When reviewing other users journeys, it appears that the hair only gets longer rather than denser from the 7 month mark.

Thanks.

(Left - fuller/denser | Right - thinner/less dense)

Edited March 29, 2022 by SeanToman

[dotdashdashdash]

Can you share how many grafts you got?

I also have one thinner side. I noticed density improvements between months 7 and 10, but not much between months 10 and 12. (I had 1852 to the front, so not a massive transplant either.)

[LaserCaps]

34 minutes ago, SeanToman said:

Hi,
I'm one week off from reaching the 7 month post operation milestone, it's exciting!

However (like many clients), one side of my transplanted area is much thinner than the other.
I was wondering what your thoughts are if we should expect much density improvements or are we close to the final results?

When reviewing other users journeys, it appears that the hair only gets longer rather than denser from the 7 month mark.

Thanks.

(Left - fuller/denser | Right - thinner/less dense)

It can take 12 months, sometimes longer, to see a matured result.  When the hair first starts growing, it is vellus-like. It takes time for the caliber to improve.  Eventually it will be the same as the hair you have in the donor - since it is from where it was harvested.  Be patient.

[NARMAK]

36 minutes ago, SeanToman said:

Hi,
I'm one week off from reaching the 7 month post operation milestone, it's exciting!

However (like many clients), one side of my transplanted area is much thinner than the other.
I was wondering what your thoughts are if we should expect much density improvements or are we close to the final results?

When reviewing other users journeys, it appears that the hair only gets longer rather than denser from the 7 month mark.

Thanks.

(Left - fuller/denser | Right - thinner/less dense)

This may not 100% be true for you, but there's about another 5 months or so of potential growth etc. you could have and believe it or not, some people are slow growers. Particularly if the initial placed graft was quite traumatised and needed to recover. 

I would say not to worry about things just yet, and see how they are month to month till you hit the 12+ month mark. That's pretty much when like 98% of the results are in for everybody. 

I also cannot be certain, but there's a few dots on your head near the frontal zone which might be ready to sprout hair and that could add more density. Also remember that with hair, it can take a few cycles to thicken up etc. 

[SeanT1]

15 minutes ago, dotdashdashdash said:

Can you share how many grafts you got?

I also have one thinner side. I noticed density improvements between months 7 and 10, but not much between months 10 and 12. (I had 1852 to the front, so not a massive transplant either.)

Hi, 3500 grafts.  
I'd say a solid 2200 was place in completely bald temples.
Would you happen to have an estimated percentage between month 7 - 10 of density improvement?

 

15 minutes ago, LaserCaps said:

It can take 12 months, sometimes longer, to see a matured result.  When the hair first starts growing, it is vellus-like. It takes time for the caliber to improve.  Eventually it will be the same as the hair you have in the donor - since it is from where it was harvested.  Be patient.

I've been shedding hair recently which I find odd at almost 7 months, would this be related to it thickening?

 

13 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

This may not 100% be true for you, but there's about another 5 months or so of potential growth etc. you could have and believe it or not, some people are slow growers. Particularly if the initial placed graft was quite traumatised and needed to recover. 

I would say not to worry about things just yet, and see how they are month to month till you hit the 12+ month mark. That's pretty much when like 98% of the results are in for everybody. 

I also cannot be certain, but there's a few dots on your head near the frontal zone which might be ready to sprout hair and that could add more density. Also remember that with hair, it can take a few cycles to thicken up etc. 

Thank you, compared to other results you've seen; would you say I'm a slow grower or thinner than typical? 

[NARMAK]

1 minute ago, SeanToman said:

Hi, 3500 grafts.  
I'd say a solid 2200 was place in completely bald temples.
Would you happen to have an estimated percentage between month 7 - 10 of density improvement?

 

I've been shedding hair recently which I find odd at almost 7 months, would this be related to it thickening?

 

Thank you, compared to other results you've seen; would you say I'm a slow grower or thinner than typical? 

Shedding is a part of the hair cycle and tbh, probably a good thing if it's leading the to hair getting stronger and thicker. 

Your one side definitely looks like the comb over might be throwing off the look of density on the right side. Look at where it's combed over a bit more closely there and it doesn't seem too different in density. 

I would definitely say don't freak out but wait. Sometimes there's people who pick up from Month 9 till 12.

Also, where did you go for your procedure? Do you have any before pictures and then immediately post-op.

Depending on your hair loss, 3500 does seem like quite a bit of grafts and hopefully that did get you the requisite density and you are simply slow growing. Apparently Minoxidil can help speed things up and as that hairs from the DHT resistant area, unlike hair normally Minoxidil helps grow back, yours won't fall out once you stop. 

[SeanT1]

1 minute ago, NARMAK said:

Shedding is a part of the hair cycle and tbh, probably a good thing if it's leading the to hair getting stronger and thicker. 

Your one side definitely looks like the comb over might be throwing off the look of density on the right side. Look at where it's combed over a bit more closely there and it doesn't seem too different in density. 

I would definitely say don't freak out but wait. Sometimes there's people who pick up from Month 9 till 12.

Also, where did you go for your procedure? Do you have any before pictures and then immediately post-op.

Depending on your hair loss, 3500 does seem like quite a bit of grafts and hopefully that did get you the requisite density and you are simply slow growing. Apparently Minoxidil can help speed things up and as that hairs from the DHT resistant area, unlike hair normally Minoxidil helps grow back, yours won't fall out once you stop. 

Thank you,

Actually this was the first time combing it that way.
Here it is combed the other way;

 

In addition, here it is combed completely down; you can see one side is indeed thinner;

 

I went to elithair in Istanbul.
You can see before operation images in my progression log thread;

 

[NARMAK]

1 minute ago, SeanToman said:

Thank you,

Actually this was the first time combing it that way.
Here it is combed the other way;

 

In addition, here it is combed completely down; you can see one side is indeed thinner;

 

I went to elithair in Istanbul.
You can see before operation images in my progression log thread;

 

Thanks for sharing. 

Tbh, i never like saying negative things to people at all and regardless of where they go, i wish they have a positive result but the concerns with yours and in particular where you went is that the density may not have been possibly high enough or graft yield/survival could have been lower. 

Luckily your donor area does look fine so if say in the future around the 12 month mark it did become apparent you need a touch up, then hopefully you can get that done. For now, maybe try Minoxodil. 

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Sean,

At seven months postop, yes you can definitely expect more density to follow over the next 5 to 10 months or so.

The truth is, average to fast growers have already experienced most new growth between six and eight months where essentially all of the hairs have at least sprouted through the scalp. However, since many of the new hair start growing as thin and colorless, those hairs that just sprouted are typically not visible until a couple months later. As the hair grows, it thickens and darkens and grows just as your natural hair grows.

so right now, you might be able to feel new hair if you place your finger lightly on certain areas of the scalp but you might not be able to see them because they are still just starting to break the surface and they may not have thickened and darkened yet.

Long story short, just because most of the new hairs have started sprouting, it doesn’t mean that your hair transplant is close to fully grown or matured yet. So you can expect more density and thickness to come with time.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant

[dotdashdashdash]

3 hours ago, SeanToman said:

Hi, 3500 grafts.  
I'd say a solid 2200 was place in completely bald temples.
Would you happen to have an estimated percentage between month 7 - 10 of density improvement?

I was still making significant gains from month 7 through 9. There was a big difference for me between month 7 and 10. But hardly any difference between 10 and 12.

I agree with people who are saying in this thread and your original post that lighting and hair style makes a massive difference.

Something I've had to accept is that my hair absolutely will look see-through under some combing and lighting conditions. Accepting that my hair, despite all of this effort, will never look perfect in all conditions is tough. Fortunately, I think a lot can be solved or at least minimized by spending time with what hair style works best for you. There are also plenty of excellent posts about using fibers, etc, to help fill in problematic spots.

That all said, looking at your original thread and comparing with this post, I hope you are also excited about how far you've come. I think it is looking, man, and the best is yet to come.

[SeanT1]

5 hours ago, NARMAK said:

Thanks for sharing. 

Tbh, i never like saying negative things to people at all and regardless of where they go, i wish they have a positive result but the concerns with yours and in particular where you went is that the density may not have been possibly high enough or graft yield/survival could have been lower. 

Luckily your donor area does look fine so if say in the future around the 12 month mark it did become apparent you need a touch up, then hopefully you can get that done. For now, maybe try Minoxodil. 

Thank you for your honesty.
Yes I understand the concerns; note that I went to elithair after doing enough research into them and I was content with their quality standard.

4 hours ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

Sean,

At seven months postop, yes you can definitely expect more density to follow over the next 5 to 10 months or so.

The truth is, average to fast growers have already experienced most new growth between six and eight months where essentially all of the hairs have at least sprouted through the scalp. However, since many of the new hair start growing as thin and colorless, those hairs that just sprouted are typically not visible until a couple months later. As the hair grows, it thickens and darkens and grows just as your natural hair grows.

so right now, you might be able to feel new hair if you place your finger lightly on certain areas of the scalp but you might not be able to see them because they are still just starting to break the surface and they may not have thickened and darkened yet.

Long story short, just because most of the new hairs have started sprouting, it doesn’t mean that your hair transplant is close to fully grown or matured yet. So you can expect more density and thickness to come with time.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant

Hoping this is the case!

1 hour ago, dotdashdashdash said:

I was still making significant gains from month 7 through 9. There was a big difference for me between month 7 and 10. But hardly any difference between 10 and 12.

I agree with people who are saying in this thread and your original post that lighting and hair style makes a massive difference.

Something I've had to accept is that my hair absolutely will look see-through under some combing and lighting conditions. Accepting that my hair, despite all of this effort, will never look perfect in all conditions is tough. Fortunately, I think a lot can be solved or at least minimized by spending time with what hair style works best for you. There are also plenty of excellent posts about using fibers, etc, to help fill in problematic spots.

That all said, looking at your original thread and comparing with this post, I hope you are also excited about how far you've come. I think it is looking, man, and the best is yet to come.

Thank you, this has helped give me reassurance.